Chlorine
by Wishfulthinker2
Summary: SO, as a pansexual, genderfluid person who lives in america. i had reason to celebrate the 26th of june 2015. this is sort of my way of giving back. its small, and not worth much. but i hope you guys enjoy it all the same. [pricefield]


Chlorine. Stuff's the worst. Max always thought it smelled sour, but Chloe had always liked it. She said it smelled fresh, and pure. If she wanted to flirt, she'd say something about how good it smelled mixed with Max's usual smell. She couldn't use Blackwell's pool anymore, seeing as she'd graduated. Two years ago. They'd moved up to Seattle with a little convincing on Max's part, but once they got there Chloe was sold. Max had chosen to go to the UW, apparently there was supposed to be a good camera program. Seattle was extremely expensive, but they worked hard for their little one bedroom apartment. Chloe worked at a Hot Topic at some mall, Max hadn't had the chance to go yet. Max did whatever she could, but it was usually photography, she'd even been picked up for a few weddings. They didn't have cable, but they had Chloe's bed, her hi-fi, and their laptops. So it was fully furnished, in their minds.  
Max had just gotten out of the shower, towel wrapped around her, hair clinging itchily to the back of her neck. She looked at the clock on the hi-fi. _Seven twenty PM._ Chloe would be home soon. She'd been going to classes for tattooing, it made her extremely happy to be around people who didn't judge, but rather were exasperated by her sleeve. Plus, with how good she was, they were sure she'd be making money in no time. Chloe. Max loved that girl to death, a few times, and to the end of the world, once. They'd been together ever since the tornado. They still didn't really understand how they stopped that thing, or if _they_ even did. Max sat on the bed, thinking back on it. The torrenting winds, the breaking glass, the cracking wood. They were huddled in the lighthouse. Or, half the light house. The boat had torn the top part off, sending it off the edge of the cliff and into the bay.  
"MAX!" They really had to scream to even get a whisper of what the other was saying.  
"WHAT?" Max knew she ought to listen. They were both dead in a few minutes. And Chloe wouldn't was that time.  
"ILL BE DAMNED IF BEFORE I DIE I DON'T TELLY YOU THAT I LOVE YOU!"  
"I LOVE YOU TOO CHLOE, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY BEST FRI-"  
"NOT LIKE THAT IDIOT! LIKE… LIKE…" she couldn't get the words out correctly. Knowing time was short was what probably drove her to pull Max into the kiss. Max had never been held tighter in her life, but she felt so much safer than she did a split second ago. It took a while for Max to realize that she wasn't dead. It had gone quiet, but she was still with Chloe, so why wouldn't she be in heaven? But when she opened her eyes, all she saw was Chloe's.  
"It…it stopped?" they were both amazed they were still alive, and at the kiss.  
"Yeah… and you..."  
"OH SHIT nonononononononononono Max don't even worry about that! I mean we were about to die so I just thought I shoul-" Max shut her up with a second kiss. They stayed that way until it was dark. Joyce was freaked.  
Max giggled at the memory. She may have almost died, but she felt like she was revived that day. The sun was warmer, and brighter. Colors shone more intensely. Food tasted better. People would think that she'd be freaked out by storms now, but whenever it rained, she thought of Chloe. _Speaking of Chloe_. Max thought to herself, and looked at the hi-fi. _Seven twenty-eight PM._ Her daydream-memory had lasted a lot longer than she thought it had.  
She finished drying off, and put on her end of the day clothes. An X-tra large t-shirt and some gray boxer length shorts. Max dug her phone out of her bag, smiling when she saw her camera. _Thanks William, even when you're gone, you're taking care of us._ She pressed the button to turn on the screen but the flashing red light in the corner indicated the phones dead battery. With a sigh, she put it on the charger and dropped in on the comforter of their bed.  
"Chloe's a good driver, it's probably just traffic."  
She could probably at least start dinner before Chloe got home. Not anything fantastic, but she knew Chloe'd probably had a long day, so she'd make it as good as she could. They had some leftover pasta, so she heated that back up, and cooked some frozen broccoli they had. _Seven thirty-six, she's usually home by now... I'm starting to get really worried about her. I hope she's okay._ The door unlocking made max jump from her thoughts, the door swung open so hard Max could have sworn it almost came off its hinges.  
"MAX! WHERE ARE YOU?!" She sounded extremely excited about something, with a hint of anxiousness about her.  
"Chill Chloe! I'm right here!" Chloe turned to look at her... and Max had never seen her glow like this, she was the happiest Max had ever seen her.  
"MAX!" she hopped the bar-counter to give max a huge hug, she jumped up and down, making max do the same  
"Max it happened! It finally fucking happened! They can't tell us what to do anymore!"  
"What happened? What are you talking about?"  
"Is your phone dead?! Have you even been on your laptop?! It's everywhere!" Chloe shoved her phone in Max's face, which she plucked from her girlfriends pale hands. It was a CNN article.  
 **U.S. SUPREME COURT LEGALIZES SAME SEX MARRIAGE IN LANDMARK DECISION: EFFECTIVE IMIDIATELY** **  
**"C…Che…it…it's gotta be fake..."  
"Its not! I checked! It's everywhere! The entire internet is fucking rainbow right now!"  
"Chloe… oh my god… is this why you were late?"  
"Sorta."  
"What do you mean sorta? Chloe... what do you mean sorta? What did you do?"  
"This."  
She took Max's hand and knelt down on one knee, reaching into the front pocket of her leather jacket. Max felt faint. Like she'd just rewound a million times over, but her body wouldn't drop. She wouldn't let it drop. Chloe took a small box out of her pocket. Opening it with her chin, and showing max what was inside. A simple ring with an obsidian purple stone set on top, diamonds at the corners. Max pulled it out, and saw writing on the inside.  
" _We'll make the world bow: partner in crime."_  
Tears streamed down Max's face, she was completely unprepared for this. She was in her goddamn pj's for fucks sake.  
"Max Caulfield. I think that you and I are meant to be. Because the universe brought you back to me. It let you save my dumb ass from dying. It made me fall in love with you. And I knew today was the day to do this. I want to spend as long as I can with you. I want to continue to prove how I feel to you every day. So. Will you marry me?"  
Max was crying her eyes out, smiling harder than she ever had.  
"You jerk, of course I will!"


End file.
